Pinning-machine.



S. E. GREENBERG. PINNING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1909.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

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S. E. GREENBBRG. PINNING MACHINE.

. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1909. V I 979,758. Patented Dec.27,1910.

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s; B. G'REENB RG; I PINNING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1909.

rm; uaRms Primes co., WASHIhfGTON, 11c

v Patented'Dec. 27, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

S. B. GREENBBRG. PINNING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 30, 19019.

979,758, Patented 'Dec. 27, 1-910.

4 sumsanna- 4" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL E. GREENBERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, T0 GREENBEBG AUTOMATIC FITTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PINNING-MACI-IINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Application filed September 30, 1909. Serial No. 520,418.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. GREEN- BERG, a subject ofthe Emperor of Russia, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in PinningMachines, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of machine for use by dressmakers and ladies tailors, for facilitating the fitting of skirts, coats and dresses by rapidly folding a hem around the bottom thereof at a uniform distance above the floor, and then automatically inserting pins or other fastening means into the hem for securing it after it is folded; to provide an improved form of cloth folding guides for such device; to provide improved means for taking pins singly and in succession from a magazine; to provide improved means for inserting the pins into cloth; to provide improved means for manipulating a plurality of layers of the cloth so that the pins will be inserted through all the layers in such manner as to securely hold them together; to provide improved feeding mechanism for feeding the cloth to the pinning machine; and to provide improved mechanism for causing relative rotation of the pinning machine and the platform upon which the customer stands while being fitted.

A specific embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a skirt fitting machine constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the pinning machine. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the same, some of the parts being partly broken away. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the feed belt plate showing the serrated feeding member projecting through slots therein. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation showing the position of the pin inserting device at the time when the jaws are about to engage a pin and withdraw it from the tape which supports the pins in the magazine. Fig. 6 shows the relative positions of the same parts immediately before the pin is insorted into the cloth. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the pin inserting arm. Figs. 8 and 9 are a face view and a sectional view respectively, illustrating the manner in which the pins engage the cloth of the skirt. Fig. 10 is a detail, party sectional, of the pitman which operates the lever on which the pin inserting arm is carried. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail showing the jaws 102 in their closed position as when gripping a pin. Fig. 12 is a fragmentary detail showing in end elevation the relative arrangement of the feed shoes 58 and 74.

In general construction, the device shown comprises a platform 1, upon which the customer stands during the operation of fitting the skirt, a pinning machine, designated 2 in Fig. 1, a folding device which is designated 3, in Fig. l, for folding the hem in the skirt in advance of the pinning operation, and mechanism for rotating the platform 1, so as to cause the folding device and pinning machine to pass around the edges of the skirt.

The platform 1 is circular and is carried by a vertical shaft 4 journaled in a bearing in the top plate 5 of the supporting frame. An annular track 6 adjacent to the outer edge of the platform 1 rides upon antifriction balls 7 running in a suitable race on the supporting frame. A friction disk 8 is rigidly mounted at the lower end of the shaft 4 and has driving engagement with a friction wheel 9 splined on the shaft 10, which is radially disposed with respect to the shaft 4. An idle roller 11 journaled on the supporting frame bears on the disk 8 at a point diametrically opposite to the position of the roller 9 to prevent a tendency to tilt the shaft 4. The shaft 10 is connected by a link belt 12 with a counter shaft 13 driven by the motor shaft 14.

In order to steady the customer standing on the platform 1 while it is rotating, it is important that she be enabled to grasp a support which travels in unison with the platform. Such a support cannot be fastened directly to the platform for the reason that it would then prevent the skirt from being brought into engagement with the pinning machine throughout its entire circumference. In order to provide such a support, the supporting frame is provided with laterally disposed arms 15 which extend outward from the edge of the platform 1 and carry uprights 16, upon the upper ends of which is mounted an annular rail 17 which has a ball race in its upper face. The rail 17 is exactly concentric with the axis of the shaft 4. A second annular .tomer standing on the platform 1.

rail or ring 18 is mounted above the rail 17 and carried by anti-friction balls 19 seated in the opposed ball races in the rails 17 and 18. The platform 1 has an annular rack 20 on it which meshes'with a pinion 21 for rotating the shaft 22, from which power is transmitted by means of a link belt 23 and its supporting sprockets to a pinion 24, which meshes with a rack 25 on the rail 18. The pinions and sprockets are suitably proportioned to drive the rail 18 at the same angular speed as the platform 1 is driven. A hand rail 26 bent to U-shape has its ends hinged to brackets 27 on the rail 18, and extends upward to a position where it may be conveniently grasped by the cus- The hinge bolts at the ends of the rail 26 are provided with wing nuts 28, by means of which the joints may be clamped so as to lock the hand rail in different positions to suit the convenience of the customer. The hand rail 26 may also serve as a gage to determine the position of the customer upon the platform.

The supports for the pinning machine and folding device comprise a frame 29 carried by the guide bars 30 and 31, which are mounted to slide endwise in roller bearings 32 on the main supporting frame. The bar 30 has rack teeth on its upper face which mesh with a pinion 33 by means of which the frame 29 is adjusted toward and away from the center of the platform 1, the pinion 33 being rotated by means of a crank 34. The pinning machine 2 is carried by a vertically disposed bar 35, which slides vertically in suitable bearings in the frame 29 and is provided with rack teeth 36 meshing with a pinion connected with the hand wheel 37, by means of which the bar 35 is adjusted vertically. A pawl 38 engages the rack teeth and supports the bar 35 in any p0sition of adjustment. This rack may be released by means of the arm 39 which is rigidly connected with the pawl and by its weight normally urges the pawl into engagement with the rack. The folding device is supported in a similar manner by means of a rack bar 40 vertically slidable in bearings on the frame 29, and a pawl 41 having a handle 42. The lifting of the bar 40 is accomplished by means of a pinion connected with the hand wheel 43, and hidden thereby in Fig. 1.

Power is transmitted to the pinning machine by means of a shaft 44,which has a splined telescoping joint at 45 so that it may be extended or shortened to suit the vertical adjustment of the pinning mechanism. The shaft 44 is connected by bevel gears 46 and 47 with an extension 48 to the shaft 13. This extension also has telescoping connection with the shaft 13 to allow for the inward and outward movements of the frame 29.

The folding'device comprises a plate of inverted U-shape49, and a second U-sha-ped plate which straddles both of the lower edges of the plate 49. The inner leg of the plate 49 is rigidly fastened to the supporting bar 40 and the inner leg of the plate 50 is carried by a bar 51 slidably mounted in the bracket 52 on the bar 40. A spring 53 normally urges the plate 50 upward to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1.

The pinnin machine comprises a U-shaped supporting frame 54, which is rigidly mounted on the bar 35 (see Fig. l). The upper end of the shaft 44 is journaled in the frame 54 and has mounted thereon a gear 55 and a pinion 56, which respectively drive the cloth feeding and pin inserting mechanism.

The cloth feeding mechanism is in some respects similar to those which are used on sewing machines, but is modified to suit the special work of the herein described ma chine. There are a middle feed shoe 57 and two side feed shoes 58, each acting through a separate slot in the feed guide plate 59. The shoes 57 and 58 are serrated in the usual. manner. throughout the surfaces thereof which engage the cloth and are carried by a member (50 which is driven in such manner that it first engages the cloth and advances it and is then withdrawn out of engagement with the cloth during its return movement, as is usual in such devices. The desired movement is imparted to the member 60 by means of a guide stud Gland an eccentric 62 which respectively operate in slots 63 and 64. The member 60 is normally urged by a spring 65, shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, toward the limit of its movementwhich is at the left in Fig. 3, thus causing the eccentric 62 to shift the member 60 in the direction for advancing the cloth, while the spring 65 returns it when it is not in contact with the cloth. The stroke of the member 60, and, in consequence, the length of each advancing movement of the cloth of the skirt, are adjusted by means of the adjustable stop which comprises a plate 66 slidably mounted on the frame 54, and an adjusting screw 67. The part designated 68 in the drawings is a casing which covers the feeding devices and is pivoted at 69 on the frame 54 to permit it to be thrown back to give access to said feeding mechanism.

There is a presser foot 7 0 carried by a rod- 71 slidably mounted in the supporting frame and normally urged by a spring 72 into engagement with the guide plate 59. The presser foot is bent to form a wedge-shaped channel 73, extending parallel with the direction of the advancing movement of the cloth, and the middle feed shoe 57 has a wedgesha )ed ridge 74 corresponding to the channel (3 so as to force the cloth into'the channel during the feeding operation and bend it into the form in which it is represented in Fig. 9. There is a ridge on the plate 59 in front of the presser foot which prevents any possibility of the cloth straightening out before the pins are inserted into it, as will hereinafter appear. There is a cam 76 on the supporting frame which coacts with a pin 77 for holding the presser foot in a retracted position, as is done in sewing machines. The eccentric 62 is carried by a shaft 78 which has a pinion 79 meshing with the gear 55.

The pin magazine comprises a reel 80 which carries a tape 81 in which the pins 82 are carried in the manner shown in the drawings,that is, the pins are inserted into the edge of the tape parallel with the plane of the tape, and extend outward beyond one edge, as shown in Fig. 2. There is a troughshaped guiding member 83 through which the tape extends in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and the advancing of the tape to bring successive pins into position for delivery to the pinning mechanism is accomplished by means of a star-shaped feed member 84 which is located so that its teeth will enter the spaces between the pins and engage the pins, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5, and 6. The feeding member 84 is journaled on the supporting frame 54, and has an annularseries of stop notches 85 which are spaced to correspond with the angular spacing of the teeth of the star, and which coact with a spring pressed detent 86 to insure a uniform step by step advance of the feed member 84. The rotation of the feed member 84 is accomplished by means of a pawl 87 carried by the lever arm 88 which is pivoted on the supporting frame at 89 and oscillated by means of a pitman 90 having a ball and socket connect-ion with the lever 88 at 91, and having an eccentric connection with the shaft 92 which is connected by means of the gear 93 with the pinion 56 on the shaft 44.

The pin-inserting member 94 is pivotally mounted at 95 at the free end of the lever 88, and it is caused to assume the various movements required for withdrawing a pin from the magazine and inserting it into the cloth of the skirt by means of a stud or shoulder 96 on the member 94, coacting with a cam ledge or track 97 on an adjacent part of the supporting frame 54, which shoulder and cam track cooperate with a pair of springs 98 and 99, as will hereinafter appear. The member 94 is hollow and carries in its interior a rod 100, which is slidable longitudinally and is normally urged to the position shown in Fig. 7 by means of a spring 101 housed within the tubular member 94. The rod has a pair of pin-engaging jaws 102 at the end which is at the right of Fig. 7, and these are of resilient structure and normally urged apart,

as will appear from Fig. 7. A pair of shoulders 103 permit the jaws 102 to separate when the shoulders 103 are in engagement with the notches 104 in said jaws, but close the jaws at other times. The shoulders 103 and notches 104 are so located that the jaws will be open when the rod 100 is in its normal position, as in Fig. 7. The frame 54 is provided with a shoulder 105 which engages a head 106 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5, and pushes the rod 100 toward the right so as to cause the jaws 102 to grip the shank of a pin 82 near the head. There is a spring pressed detent 107 carried by a slide 108 on the pinning member 94 which engages a shoulder 109 on the rod 100 when the jaws are in their closed position. The detent 107 retains the jaws 1 02 in a closed position until after the pin has been inserted into the cloth. At this time the slide 108, which carries the detent 107, engages a surface 110 on the supporting frame so as to retract the detent 107 and permit the spring 101 to force the rod 100 toward the left of Fig. 7 and permit the shoulders 103 to again enter the notches 104 and allow the aws 102 to open.

The tension of the springs 98 and 99 is so adjusted that normally the pinning member 94 will engage the spring stop 111 and occupy a position with respect to the arm 88 corresponding with the position of Fig. 2. As the arm 88 swings on its pivot 89 in a direction toward the left of Fig. 2, the shoulder 96 is carried into engagement with the side of the cam track 97 and causes the pinning member 94 to swing toward the position in which it is shown in Fig. 5, the jaws 102 being brought to the position for engaging the pin 82 which is held in proper position for such engagement by the teeth of the feed member 84 and the head 106 engaging the shoulder 105, so as to push the rod 100 toward the right and cause the shoulders 103 to close the jaws 102 after they have passed over the head of the pin. After the jaws have en 'aged the head of a pin, the shoulder 96 will have passed clear of the cam track 97, but a small shoulder 112 on the supporting frame prevents the swinging of the pinning member 94 under the action of the spring 98 until after the arm 88 has commenced its return movement. As soon as the head 106 passes clear of the shoulder 112, the spring 98 swings the member 94 into engagement with the spring stop 111, and during the continued movement of the arm 88 toward the right the shoulder 96 riding on the under side of the cam ledge 97 swings the pinning member 94 to the position shown in Fig. 6, stretching the spring 99. After the shoulder 96 passes clear of the cam track 97, the spring 99 and the spring 111 coact to swing the pinning member 94 suddenly to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2, causing the pin to be inserted into the cloth of the skirt at a point between the feed shoe 74 and the ridge 75 on the guide plate 59, the cloth being at this point puckered as in Fig. 9, so that the pin enters the cloth in the manner which is shown in Fig. 9. The member 94 is provided with an extension or finger 113 which abuts against the head of the pin as shown in Fig. 6, and insures that the pin is driven to its proper position in the cloth, even though the jaws 102 may open before the pin arrives at such position. The movement of the pinning member 94 under the combined act-ion of the springs 99 and 111 is quite violent, and for this reason the pin- I ning member is provided with a rubber buffer 114 which strikes the end of the pinfeeding member 84, as in Fig. 2. The release of the pinfrom the aws 102 is accomplished by the shifting of the slide 108 when it engages the surface 110 (Fig. 7) on the supporting frame.

The operation of the device shown is as follows :The skirt which is to be fitted is first placed upon the customer in the position in which it is to be worn, and the customer steps over the rail 18 and stands upon the platform 1, while grasping the hand rail 26. The operator then causes the customer to shift her position on the platform until she stands at a place where the skirt will hang freely around the edges of the platform. After adjusting the hand rail to a convenient position to be gripped comfortably by the customer, the operator adjusts the cloth folding device and pinning machine to proper elevations with respect to the surface of the platform, and then turns up the adjacent part of the cloth of the skirt so that it enters the folding device in the manner shown by the dotted lines 115 in Fig. 1, that is, the lower edge of the skirt is folded inward at this part. While inserting the lower margin of the skirt into the space between the legs of the plate 49, the plate 50 is pulled downward out of the way. lVhen the plate is released, the spring 53 causes it to resume its normal position with respect to the plate 49, and the adjacent part of the skirtis confined in this manner. In a similar manner the adjacent part of the skirt is folded and placed in position between the presser foot 70 and the plate 59 of the pinning machine. The motor is now started, causing the rotation of the platform 1 and the operation of the pinning machine. The feeding mechanism of the pinning machine advances the cloth at such speed with respect to the platform 1 as to allow the skirt at all times to hang correctly. The operator watches the operation of the machine and regulates the speed of the pinning machine so as to make allowances for variations in the fullness of the skirt at difierent parts.

As the platform rotates, the material of the skirt is fed through the pinning device and is also pulled through the folding device which properly folds the hem in advance of its arrival at the pinning machine. The feeding mechanism of the pinning machine puckers the hem to the shape shown in Fig. 9, and the off-set is sufficiently great to insure that the pin passes through all the lay ers of the cloth and thereby properly secures it. The rotation of the shaft 44 causes the oscillation of the lever 88, as has been hereinbefore described, and at each movement of said arm toward the right of Fig. 2, the pawl 87 engages the feed member 84 so as to advance it one tooth space and thereby bring the next succeeding pin into position for delivery to the pinning member 94. During the movement of the lever 88 near the right-hand limit of its range, the jaws 102 of the pinning member grip the pin. As the lever 88 swings toward the right of Fig. 6, the pin is carried to the position there shown, and as soon as the shoulder 96 passes clear of the cam surface 97, the springs 99 and 111 force the pin into the fold of the cloth as has already been described in connection with the detailed description of the structure of the parts which accomplish this function. At the completion of the operation the hem of the skirt will be secured in the manner illustrated in Fig. 8, ready to be sewed permanently.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted, within the scope of the following claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim 1. A device for fitting garments, comprising a platform for the customer to stand upon, means for folding the material of a garment worn by the customer to form a hem at a predetermined elevation with respect to the platform, means for automatically pinning the folded parts of the garment so as to retain them in such folded position, and mechanism for causing a relative movement of said platform and said folding and pinning means.

2. A device for fitting garments, compris ing a platform for the customer to stand upon, means for folding the material of a garment worn by the customer to form a hem at a predetermined elevation with respect to the platform, means for automatically securing the folded parts of the garment so as to retain them in such folded position, and mechanism for causing a relative movement 'of said platform and said folding and securing means.

In a device of the class described, the combination of a platform for the customer to stand upon, a cloth folding device for turning up a hem on a garment worn by the customer, a pinning machine located at one side of said folding device and adapted to secure together the parts of the garment at each side of the fold, and mechanism for causing relative rotation of said platform with respect to said folding device and pinning machine to cause said device and machine to traverse the edges of the platform and form a hem on the garment at a predetermined level with respect to said platform.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a platform for the customer to stand upon, a cloth folding device for turning up a hem on a garment worn by the customer, a pinning machine located at one side of said folding device and adapted to secure together the parts of the garmentat each side of the fold, mechanism for causing relative rotation of said platform with respect to said foldin device and pinning machine to cause said c levice and machine to traverse the edges of the platform and form a hem on the garment at a predetermined level with respect to said platform, and means for adjusting said platform, folding device and pinning machine relatively of each other for changing the level of the hem with respect to the platform.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a platform for the customer to stand upon, a cloth folding device for turning up a hem on a garment worn by the customer, a pinning machine located at one side of said folding device and adapted to secure together the parts of the garment at each side of the fold, mechanism for causing relative rotation of said platform with respect to said folding device and pinning machine to cause said device and machine to traverse the edges of the platform and form a hem on the garment at a predetermined level with respect to said platform, and means for positively feeding the cloth of the garment to said pinning machine.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a platform for the customer to stand upon, a cloth folding device for turning up a hem on a garment worn by the customer, a pinning machine located at one side of said folding device and adapted to secure together the parts of the garment at each side of the fold, mechanism for causing relative rotation of said platform with respect to said folding device and pinning machine to cause said device and machine to traverse the edges of the platform and form a hem on the garment at a predetermined level with respect to said platform, means for positively feeding the cloth of the garment to said pinning machine, and means for changing the relative speeds of operation of said feeding means and said mechanism to suit variations in the fullness of the garment.

7. A device for fitting garments, comprising a rotatable platform for the customer to stand upon, means for folding the material of a garment worn by the customer to form a hem extending around the same, mechanism adapted to apply securing means for retaining the hem in its folded position, mechanism for rotating said platform relatively of said securing mechanism, and' a support adapted to be grasped by the customer when standing on said platform and arranged to rotate in unison with said platform.

8. A device for fitting garments, comprising a supporting frame, a rotatable platform mounted on said frame for the customer to stand upon, means for folding the material of a garment worn by the customer to form a hem extending around the same, mechanism mounted on said frame outside of said platform and adapted to apply securing means for retaining the hem in its folded position, mechanism for rotating said platform relatively of said securing mechanism, and a support adapted to be grasped by the customer when standing on said platform and arranged to rotate in unison with said platform, said support being mounted on said supporting frame independently of said platform.

9. A device for fitting garments, comprising a rotatable platform for the customer to stand upon, means for folding the material of a garment worn by the customer to form a hem extending around the same, mechanism adapted to apply securing means for retaining the hem in its folded position, mechanism for rotating said platform relatively of said securing mechanism, and a support adapted to be grasped by the customer when standing on said platform and arranged to rotate in unison with said platform, said support being adjustable toward and away from the axis of the platform and adapted to gage the position of the customer on the platform.

10. In a device of the class described, a

pinning machine comprising a frame, feeding mechanism for advancing cloth in its own plane along said frame, guiding means for puckering the cloth to form thereon a ridge along the direction of movement of the cloth, and mechanism for inserting pins through said ridge in a direction substantially parallel with the plane of the cloth.

11. In a pinning machine, the combination of a tape having therein a series of pins extending crosswise of the tape and with their heads toward one side, feeding mechanism comprising a star wheel having points adapted to enter the spaces between adjacent pins, means for rotating said star wheel to advance the tape, and a pin inserting memher having thereon gripping jaws adapted to engage a pin, and mechanism for moving said pin-inserting member between a position for receiving a pin from said tape and a position for inserting said pin into an adjacent piece of cloth, said mechanism comprising means for causing said jaws to close on receiving a pin and to automatically open said jaws as the pin is inserted into the cloth.

12. In a pinning machine, the combination of a feed platform, a presser foot adapted to hold a sheet of cloth against said platform, feeding mechanism for advancing the cloth along said platform, said platform and presser foot being provided with an interfitting ledge and groove adapted to ofiset the cloth along a narrow line extending in the direction of the feed, and mechanism for inserting pins in succession through said ledge and parallel to said platform as the cloth is advanced.

13. In a pinning machine, the combination of a feed platform, a presser foot adapted to hold a sheet of cloth against said platform, feeding mechanism for advancing the cloth alon said platform, said platform and presser foot being provided with an interfitting ledge and groove adapted to olfset the cloth along a narrow line extending in the direction of the feed, and mechanism for inserting pins in succession through said ledge and parallel to said plat-form as the cloth is advanced, said feeding mechanism comprising a reciprocating member extending through sa1d platform and adapted to coact with sa1d presser foot for advancing the cloth, said reciprocating member having inter-fitting ledge and groove adapted to offset the cloth along a narrow line extending in the direction of the feed, and mechanism for inserting pins in succession through said ledgeand parallel to said platform as the cloth is advanced, said feeding mechanism comprising a reciprocating member extending through said platform and adapted to coact with said presser foot for advancing the cloth, said reciprocating member having a serrated ridge adapted to force the material into the groove in the presser foot during the feeding operation.

Signed at Chicago this 24th day of September 1909. SAMUEL E. GREENBERG.

l Vitnesses 1 EUGENE A. RUMMLER', EDWIN PHELPS. 

